Heros And Villains Of The Middle Ages

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Martyrs of Cordoba

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(c. 850-859)
48 Christian Martyrs executed for capital violations of muslim law in Al-Andalus

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Charlemagne

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(742-814)
was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans (Imperator Romanorum) from 800 to his death. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into a Frankish Empire
During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800
reign associated with Carolingian Renaissance
son of Pippin the Short
led incursion into Muslim Spain, he was invited by the Muslim governor of Barcelona, deal was withdrawn, Charlemagne suffered worst defeat at the hands of the Basques at at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass (778) (song of Roland)

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Song of Roland

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is the oldest surviving major work of French literature
778 in which Roland, prefect of the Breton March and commander of the rear guard of Charlemagne's army, was defeated by the Basques

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Rodrigo Diaz do Vivar

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(c. 1040 – July 10, 1099), known as El Cid Campeador, was a Castilian nobleman, a military leader and diplomat who, after being exiled, conquered and governed the city of Valencia. Rodrigo Díaz was educated in the royal court of Castile and became the alférez, or chief general, of Alfonso VI, and his most valuable asset in the fight against the Moors. He is considered the national hero of Spain.
El Cid's unauthorized expedition into Granada greatly angered Alfonso, sent into exile.
not the end of El Cid, either physically or as an important figure. In 1081, El Cid, now a mercenary, offered his services to the Moorish king of the northeast Al-Andalus city of Zaragoza, Yusuf al-Mu'taman ibn Hud, and served both him and his successor, Al-Mustain IIThe Cid began a siege of Valencia. A December 1093 attempt to break failed. By the time the siege ended in May 1094 the Cid had carved out his own principality on the coast of the Mediterranean. Officially the Cid ruled in the name of Alfonso

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Moses ben Maimon/ Maimonides

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(1137-1204)
preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher, one of the greatest Torah scholars of the Middle Ages.
a rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Spain, Morocco and Egypt. With the contemporary Muslim sage Averroes, he promoted and developed the philosophical tradition of Aristotle
only negative statements toward a description of God may be considered correct. Thus, one does not say "God is One", but rather, "God is not multiple".
Maimonides formulates his 13 principles of faith
writes the Mishneh Torah which is a code of Jewish law with the widest-possible scope and depth.
in Philosophy he writes: Guide for the Perplexed
wrote medical, geographical, and astrology works

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Averroes

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(1126-1198)
master of Islamic philosophy, Islamic theology, Maliki law and jurisprudence, logic, psychology, politics, Arabic music theory, and the sciences of medicine, astronomy, geography, mathematics, physics and celestial mechanics. He was born in Córdoba, Al Andalus. Died in Morocco.
His most important original philosophical work was The Incoherence of the Incoherence and The Incoherence of the Philosophers
medical text: Kulliyat

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Benjamin of Tudela

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was a medieval Navarrese adventurer, sometimes called "Rabbi", who traveled through Europe, Asia, and Africa in the 12th century. His vivid descriptions of western Asia preceded those of Marco Polo by a hundred years. With his broad education and vast knowledge of languages, Benjamin of Tudela is major figure in medieval geography and Judaism.
was a medieval Navarrese adventurer, sometimes called "Rabbi", who traveled through Europe, Asia, and Africa in the 12th century. His vivid descriptions of western Asia preceded those of Marco Polo by a hundred years. With his broad education and vast knowledge of languages, Benjamin of Tudela is a major figure in medieval geography and Judaism.
started journey 1165, in what may have begun as a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
wrote The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela
His journey began in the city of Zaragoza, further down the valley of the Ebro, whence he proceeded north to France, and then set sail from the port of Marseilles. After visiting Genoa, Pisa, and Rome in present-day Italy; Greece; and Constantinople, he set off across Asia. He visited Syria, Lebanon, Land of Israel, and northern Mesopotamia (which he called Shinar) before reaching Baghdad. From there he went to Persia, then cut back across the Arabian Peninsula to Egypt and North Africa, returning to the Iberian Peninsula in 1173.

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Ibn Jubayr

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was an Arab geographer, traveler and poet from al-Andalus. Born in Valencia
traveled: The sea journey from Ceuta to Alexandria.
Egypt: praises the Sunni ruler Saladin, visits Alexandria and Cairo
Sicily: draws attention to active volcanoes
also travelled to Jerusalem, Medina, Mecca, Damascus, Mosul, Acre and Baghdad at Basra

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Pope Alexander II

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gives his blessing to wage war against Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula

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Pope Gregory VII

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(d. 1085) born Hildebrand of Sovana (Italian: Ildebrando di Soana), was Pope from April 22, 1073, until his death
best known for the part he played in the Investiture Controversy, dispute with Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor affirming the primacy of the papal authority and the new canon law governing the election of the pope by the college of cardinals.
He twice excommunicated Henry IV